Sony’s Rumoured QX1 Lens Could Turn Your Smartphone Into A DSLR

Sony’s Rumoured QX1 Lens Could Turn Your Smartphone Into A DSLR

That camera breakdown above is reportedly Sony’s new ILCE-QX1 lens camera system. Originally leaked by the Xperia Blog, this lens is the next evolution in Sony’s determination to transform your smartphone lens into a more professional grade shooter.

The biggest addition to Sony’s QX lineup, which includes the QX10 and the QX100 fixed lenses, is that this new lens system has a mounting module that will let you switch among different E-mount lenses, more akin to a DSLR or MILC shooting experience. The photography philosophy behind the QX1 remains the same, take a professional grade lens, make it as portable as possible (about the size of a baseball), and attach it when you need it. The lens’ Wi-Fi syncs with your phone and can also connect via NFC. Last year’s QX100 could work completely autonomously from a smartphone itself, but a phone’s display actually helps frame what you’re looking at and capture the image you want. Most likely the QX1 will work in a similar vein, only allowing the additional function of switching among lenses.

Sony Alpha Rumours says the system will come with an APC-S sensor and will cost almost $US400 for the body and near $US600 with a 16-50mm lens in tow. If these prices are true, Sony’s impressive but pricey QX lenses will stay a niche product.

Equally interesting is the smartphone model they have chosen to display the QX1. This could be the first “official” photography of the upcoming Xperia Z3 we’ve seen from Sony. However, the QX1 would probably work on a variety of smartphones, Android or otherwise, much like previous lenses in the QX line.

Luckily, we won’t have to wait much longer to get a deeper dive into the Z3 as we’re expecting its debut later this week at IFA 2014 in Berlin. [Xperia Blog via Engadget]

Sony’s Rumoured QX1 Lens Could Turn Your Smartphone Into A DSLR


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